Diddy reveals that he was open to the idea of Biggie becoming his manager and writing for him.
We hit the 10-year anniversary of Diddy — Dirty Money’s Last Train To Paris yesterday. Though it’s the only and only album that was ever put out by the Bad Boy duo, described as Puffy’s alter-ego, many have looked back in retrospect with a newfound appreciation for it. The rap mogul got into depth about the album’s creation during a recent interview with REVOLT but he also shared some never-before-told tales about Biggie Smalls whose apparently responsible for Diddy‘s tenure as a rapper.
“It was really Biggie’s idea for me to start rapping,” he said. We know Diddy as a producer, first and foremost, whose ear for music helped launched many careers. He explained that’s what he always wanted to do, following the footsteps of the greats that came before him. “It wasn’t like I was a cat banging on the lunch table. It was more like I followed in the footsteps of the star producers — like Dr. Dre and like Teddy Riley.”
Ultimately, it was Diddy’s charisma and character that Biggie believed could turn into superstar potential. He even offered to pen the verses himself, as well as manage Puff’s rap career.
“I was teaching [Biggie] the game and he was like, ‘Yo, I wanna manage you. I’ma write your rhymes.’ And I was open to it,” he revealed. With Biggie’s direction, singles like “All About The Benjamins” and “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down” ft. Mase were produced and landed on Diddy’s debut album.
“We did them at the same time; released them at the same time,” he added, crediting those singles for his success.